The Ann Arbor City Council Monday night began its annual budget process. Members heard preliminary revenue and expenditure assumptions and proposed spending programs from department heads. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert reports.
Ann Arbor is expecting to see an increase of about 4-point-5% in property tax revenue along with more dollars from the state and parking. Chief Financial Officer Marti Praschan says most of the state’s shared revenue will be dependent on consumer behavior. She says it could take a hit with economic problems and the big hike of the marijuana excise tax.
“What we need to be able to do here is understand that those revenue streamsmay be volatile, maybe not come in as originally estimated due to the current economic conditions.”
Both the police and fire departments are requesting additional personnel and changes to help deal with the planned higher density. The final budget is expected to be approved on May 18th.
